


we have not touched the stars (nor are we forgiven)

by moxx04



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: F/F, Google is my friend, Hades and Persephone but mostly incoherent, Self-Indulgent, The title has nothing to do with the story, i am aware, loose on the mythology, pure fluff for a change
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:48:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27180646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moxx04/pseuds/moxx04
Summary: Mina grins, picks up the narcissus on the ground between them, and puts it behind her ear. The world feels like it comes to a standstill.
Relationships: Im Nayeon/Myoui Mina
Comments: 14
Kudos: 243





	we have not touched the stars (nor are we forgiven)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sydvein](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sydvein/gifts).



> i have not proofread lmao

Let it not be said that Nayeon was a lightweight. Drunken nights with Sana and Momo would attest to that, but Jihyo was a different beast. Maybe all that time she spends playing with lightning messed with her metabolism. Do they even have metabolism as metaphysical entities?

Does ambrosia stir up existence at its very essence—

“You’re talking about Mina, right?” Jeongyeon slurs from beside her.

Was she talking about Mina? She can’t really think straight—hah straight—right now. She’s lost count of how many shots of ambrosia they’ve taken, but Jihyo is still sitting there smugly opposite of her in the booth they picked. One of these days, she’s gonna drink the sky goddess under the table.

“What were we talking about?” she squints her eyes at Jihyo whose smile just got wider at her question.

“You were rambling on and on about the new goddess that popped into existence,” Jihyo answers readily while Jeongyeon passes out completely and rudely falls over her lap.

“Oh, you mean the most beautiful goddess to ever exist?” she says.

“Don’t let Sana hear you say that,” Jihyo laughs, “but yes, that’s what you’ve been telling us.”

Sana might get pissed at Mina if she hears Nayeon say that, especially since Nayeon is conceited enough to say she’s just as beautiful as Sana and could get away with it. She’ll start thinking that Nayeon’s getting away with too much. If only Mina weren’t so perfect-looking.

“She’s just so adorable with the short hair and the moles on her face,” she sniffs, wiping lightly at her eyes. “And she’s just so warm, you know? Like sunlight except she’s not annoyingly hot like Chaeyoung.”

Jihyo is laughing at her and it’s not even funny. She doesn’t get much sunlight, okay? Her skin is sensitive.

“Why don’t you just go and talk to her?” Jihyo asks when she gets over her laughing fit.

“Momo might kill me if I steal her away,” she sighs, dropping her head on a table with a dull thud. “I think Mina’s helping her with spring or something. I don’t know.”

She hears Jihyo drink another shot, the glass put down on the table loudly.

“Well since it’s Momo and I who’ve taken responsibility of her, at least you’ll have one goddess on your side,” Jihyo tells her, and she can’t see it from her position but she’s probably smirking.

“Do you promise you’ll try to get Momo off my back?” she whines softly.

“Promise,” Jihyo answers.

She transports the three of them to the underworld, by the River Styx. Jeongyeon is lying uselessly on the riverbanks, Jihyo’s looking very amused by the change in scenery, and her world is kind of spinning around so she sits down.

“Will you promise me again here?” she pouts.

“Yes, I swear I’ll try to get Momo off your back within reasonable circumstances,” Jihyo grins that smile of hers she always has when Nayeon asks for something, which is admittedly rare because she’s self-sufficient, thank you very much.

“But you have to swear you’ll talk to her within a mortal month from now,” her sister by choice adds. “Deal?”

She thinks about it. She could probably get the courage to do it in a month. It’s gonna be a breeze.

“Deal.”

-

She wakes up with a headache. Not a good sign.

She gets up anyway and does her morning routine before she sees a note on her nightstand.

_You whined all night to Jeong and I about Mina, so stop trying to act cool because we know you’re lame and emotional. We also swore by the Styx that you’d talk to her within a month so unless you want to mess up, you might want to do that before the vow forces you to. Good luck, Nay!_

_-Hyo_

Fucking Hades. This is why she doesn’t like drinking.

-

Chill and steady will probably get her somewhere. Mina’s been frequenting the Alyconian Lake lately according to the hydra she has stationed there. That’s kind of weird for someone who isn’t on a quest to slay the hydra, but she’ll go along with it. So what if her crush is insane enough to approach a dangerous nine-headed water snake creature? That’s part of her charm.

“Okay, Nayeon, you can do this,” she whispers to herself.

She uses her power to make a narcissus flower bloom on the ground. She’s usually not one to give life to things, but wooing Mina calls for something special. The most beautiful flower for the most beautiful lady. She waits under the shade of a tree with her chariot nearby and ready. She hopes Mina will like it.

A few hours of silence pass with her deciding whether or not she should just go home and rethink her existence until Mina is there, crouching and looking at the flower with a soft smile at her. Hades help her, she is a goddess even among goddesses, dressed in a flowing white dress and with warmth that rivals the Elysian fields.

Nayeon can’t believe that worked. She got her attention.

She takes a deep breath and walks smoothly up to the goddess of fertility who looks very curious at her presence. She went for the dark and mysterious look today, an all-black fitted suit and her hair in a low ponytail. Jeongyeon told her it looked great on her after hours of helping her decide what to wear.

“May I help you?” Mina asks softly.

The sound of her voice was music to Nayeon’s ears. So beautiful that she might have stood there like an idiot for too long, Mina slowly trying to side-step her to go to the lake.

“Wait,” she finally says, stepping in front of the goddess again. “I’m Nayeon.”

“Well, Nayeon, may I help you?” Mina’s looking at her weirdly now.

“Want to go to underworld with me?” she says the first thing that comes to her mind.

She almost facepalms, and the rumble of thunder from the sky means Jihyo heard that and is mocking her. She can’t even say she doesn’t deserve it. This is what happens when you procrastinate asking out your crush under oath. The vow slowly starts to mess with your tact and sensibility. So much for chill and steady.

“Yeah, okay,” Mina smiles at her.

“Wait what?” she must’ve heard that wrong.

“How do we get there?” the younger raises one eyebrow (with the most adorable slit) at her.

Yep, Nayeon is very much gay and this goddess was the most beautiful and wonderful being in the world. Sana’s pride be damned.

She whistles and the four-horse golden chariot she prepared appears before them. She helps Mina into the chariot before getting on. With a snap of her fingers, they race to the underworld.

-

Everyone likes dogs, right?

“Are you always this quiet?” Mina asks _her_ , like this new goddess isn’t known for being radiant but so serene that she feels distant.

“No,” she coughs, needing to clear the ball of tension in her throat. “I didn’t think I’d get this far, so I really don’t have anything planned.”

Mina laughs and Nayeon doesn’t care what she has to do, she will spend her life trying to hear it again.

“I think it would be best to show you Kookeu and his brothers first.”

“Is this the Cerberus I’ve been hearing about from Momo?” Mina asks, looking around at the cold and gaudy surroundings of the underworld.

“She talks about my dog to you?” Nayeon does her best to steer the chariot to the right place.

“I,” Mina pauses, “I may have asked her about some of the goddesses.”

Huh. That makes sense. Momo is more sensible than Jihyo sometimes and seeing a bunch of them in the yearly meeting in Olympus probably made her curious about everyone. That’s when _she_ became curious about Mina after all.

“All good things, I hope,” she smiles at the blushing goddess beside her. “But I know the dark and gloomy underworld gets a bad rep with everyone.”

“I think it’s nice,” the younger says. “I was very curious about death when I came to be. I create life and make things bloom, but everything is mortal.”

This is where Nayeon’s heart will break. She is, after all, the jerk that has to end things in most people’s eyes.

“I think it’s beautiful,” Mina adds.

The chariot stops right at their destination. Kookeu and his brothers were resting on their paws.

“What’s beautiful?” she asks, weary heart pumping too loudly.

She helps Mina get off the chariot. Her hands were dainty and soft in Nayeon’s silk-gloved ones.

“The cycle. Everything that’s not immortal must come to an end. It’s merciful, to give life meaning when one’s purpose is unclear. Unlike with us, you know?”

And yes, Nayeon does know, being confined to her role from the very beginning.

“You’re very wise for your age,” she can’t help but comment.

“We’re ageless, what are you talking about?” Mina teases her, already walking to the calm Cerberus. “Which one is Kookeu?”

She’ll never get over Mina, she just knows it.

“The one in the middle is Kookeu,” she smiles, patting her cute boy beneath his huge ears and getting licked on her face for the action. “The one on the left is Ahri, only Dahyun gets to pat her. The one on the right doesn’t let anyone close, so be careful.”

“You mean this little guy?”

She looks to her right and is blessed with the sight of Mina’s gentle smile while scratching under Kookeu’s brother’s chin. This day is packed full of surprises.

“That means you get to name him,” she grins.

“Really?” Mina looks at her with wonder in her eyes.

She has never felt so warm and teary.

“Yeah, Dahyun got to name Ahri during her frequent visits. I named Kookeu with Chaeyoung’s help back when he was a small baby,” she laughs at her boy’s squinted eyes, always so smart and attentive. “Now he’s a big baby.”

Kookeu lifts their giant paw to wrestle with her, the adorable cutie that he is.

She doesn’t see Mina’s fond look directed at her.

“I’m gonna name him Ray.”

They’ll take Ray’s resounding bark and onset of licking as agreement.

-

They spend a few precious hours entertaining the Cerberus, but Mina, surprisingly, receives a call from one of the mortals’ inventions. A phone.

“This is Mina,” the goddess greets. “Oh. Okay.”

That was quick.

“Sorry about that,” Mina sighs. “I have to get back to Momo, places to give life to and all that.”

“I understand,” some things need priority. “I’ll help you back out.”

It went well, all things considered. Her metaphorical heart didn’t get broken. Mina even looks a bit sad about having to leave.

When they reach the surface, Mina smiles at her, looking like she wants to say something.

She beats her to it.

“Any time you want to come, you know the way,” she scratches the back of her head at how presumptuous that is of her. “Even if it’s just to visit Ray.”

Mina grins, picks up the narcissus on the ground between them, and puts it behind her ear. The world feels like it comes to a standstill. She wouldn’t mind if that’s the case. She’d love to live in this moment forever.

“I’ll come back.”

-

When the furies alert her of a new presence in Hades, she expects another mortal or demigod wanting to unbalance the world of life and death. It turns out to be a goddess that unbalances _her._ Oh Hades, what even is that? Feelings. Gross. Okay, maybe not gross, but definitely not her thing.

Her frown disappears when she sees Mina playing with the Cerberus again.

“Someone told me I could come any time,” Mina teases her. “Is that true or was she just being polite?”

“I think that she is indeed polite, but the message is still true,” she feels the ends of her lips lifting up into a smile.

Why does this goddess turn her into mush. It’s not very nice.

“Any plans for today?”

“A few, but nothing that can’t be set aside with a time warp,” she says. “Would you like to help with one of the fun things?”

“Sure,” Mina grins.

She snaps her fingers and they’re transported to the Elysium.

“This is where I stay,” she gestures around the endless field with various dwellings.

“The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Mina says, looking up at the sky.

_Not as beautiful as you._

And so they wander there, greeting various people who look at peace, happy, and content.

“This place is wonderful,” Mina tells her. “They never look like that in the surface.”

“That’s because they forgot their mortal ties. A drink from the River Lethe before they can move on and find peace,” she explains.

“And they do it willingly?” Mina asks softly, not accusing, not doubtful of her intentions.

How refreshing.

“They do,” she smiles sadly, looking at the people having fun and making music. “I found that most of them, these so-called virtuous beings, live a tiring and challenging life in the surface. They’re almost always glad to finally let go of the baggage.”

Mina takes her gloved hand. She feels so gentle, but all of Nayeon knows her orbit is shifting. She’s being pulled by a soft delicate hand, understanding eyes, and a heartbreaking smile.

-

The next time is more amusing than Nayeon’s-world-changing.

Mina shows up with a frown on her face and shoulders drooping down from their usual perfect posture. She’s close to panicking until Mina pouts. _Pouts._

She really can’t.

“Want to go play with my ferryman?” she offers.

“I would love to,” Mina sighs, finally showing that gummy smile.

She snaps her fingers, and they arrive in front of Jackson.

“Well, well, well. What brings you here, boss?” he grins. “Got a pretty coin for me?”

“Idiot,” she chuckles fondly, “we’re just here for a few trips.”

“Are the mortals really charged coins?” Mina asks.

“Well most of them offer them, and I take them as mementos. Memento mori,” Jackson laughs at his unfunny joke.

He walks away to ready the boat for their trip, helping a few other fretting passengers on.

“He has to be cheerful,” Nayeon whispers to Mina, “he helps the people heal, delivers them to their fate with all the love and care he’s capable of.”

“Even the evil ones?”

“Even then. They all get scared. He deals with that after Dahyun delivers them.”

He motions them over and they get on the boat. The scenery is beautiful and haunting, a few souls choosing to swim for a century across the great river, a form of repentance, or perhaps a representation of their directionless wandering in life.

Mina looks calm now. None of that tiredness from earlier. Just bright curiosity and soothing tones of voice while talking to the passengers.

She looks like she belongs here.

-

This time, she’s smart enough not to drink much.

“You’re being suspicious,” Jihyo narrows her eyes at her. “What’s been happening to you lately?”

“Mina and I are finally friends,” she indulges on the desire to brag. “She comes to Hades sometimes. Willingly.”

“What do you mean?” Jeongyeon looks at her like she turned into a gorgon.

“I mean she comes and goes,” she shrugs. “We’re friends.”

“Literally no one else is allowed that kind of access to your domain,” Jihyo says slowly.

She laughs.

“That’s because no one wants to be there but me.”

“You look like you’re going to send everyone else to Tartarus when they visit,” Jeongyeon deadpans. “Not exactly inviting.”

“I would never do that, the rules don’t work that way,” she takes a shot. “That’s dumb.”

Jeongyeon and Jihyo look at each other before looking at her.

“You are a dumbass,” Jihyo starts

“Seriously, a dumbass,” Jeongyeon finishes.

“Uncalled for,” she replies. “Just because Mina is nice enough to visit when she can and do things like walk with me, or get on a boat with me, or ask about my duties, doesn’t mean I’m a dumbass. That doesn’t even make sense.”

“Have you considered that you’re in love?” Jihyo asks in that bossy tone that amuses her to no end.

“Where did you get that idea?” she laughs it off.

-

The very next day, Mina comes back. Nayeon has a perfect idea for the day, courtesy of Jihyo’s exaggerated remarks.

“Let’s go see Tartarus.”

A snap of her fingers, a long pause, and they’re by a massive wrought-iron fence.

“The travel takes longer because we’re are far below Hades as the surface is far below Olympus,” Nayeon prompts, “but I wanted to show you this place.”

“Why?” Mina asks simply.

“Jihyo might have mentioned it when we met yesterday,” she grins devilishly. “And I was reminded that I am kind of a badass for keeping this place secure.”

Mina laughs playfully at her. Goal achieved.

“But really,” she concedes, “the underworld isn’t always so pretty. I don’t want to seem like I’m pretending it is.”

Mina looks on at the dark haze around the fences, listening to the anguish and frustration inside.

“Do you judge which people go here?”

“That’s not my job,” she says. “My job is to stay here and maintain this place, the whole underworld, to make sure that evil isn’t released upon the world and that the good receive a worthy resting place.”

“You do sound like a badass to me,” Mina grins. “Like Atlas holding up the world, but you do it willingly.”

-

“Do you have an extra room in Elysium?” Mina asks her at once. “I’m on a vacation and I was wondering if I could stay here?”

“Yes,” she answers way too quickly, so she clears her throat. “Of course,” she says more calmly.

She had the room next to hers renovated by the furies just in case Mina wanted to sleep over. Not that she’d ever admit that.

-

She never pictured herself falling into domesticity, but there’s no other way to describe this.

They take turns walking Kookeu, Ray and Ahri. Mina does it when Nayeon has to work on organizing Hades, Nayeon does it when Mina looks very serious on her video games.

Sometimes Mina tries to teach her some of the mortal games. She likes the farming ones the most. Mina surprisingly loves the more violent ones, something about leagues and legends. To each their own.

They take walks everywhere sharing stories. Her favorite one up to date is when Mina told her, laughing at the silliness, how dandelions end up in the harshest places but thrive anyway, while humans raise plants that die at the slightest change in soil conditions. Life is funny that way sometimes.

Most days, she makes dinner for the two of them. She likes it. Having someone to prepare things for, not out of responsibility but of simple affectionate desire.

-

They come to the next Olympus meeting together. It would have been too much of a hassle if they went separately. It’s totally not because they’ve formed a habit of holding hands whenever they’re within reaching distance.

“I think Momo wants me to go back to Hades,” she tells Mina, purposefully looking away from the goddess of harvest whose eyes were throwing daggers at her.

“Jihyo and Jeongyeon are looking this way too,” Mina replies.

And they were, indeed, smirking smugly. She glares at them, but they’ve grown immune.

“Hey!” Chaeyoung greets them after a flash of blinding and slightly searing light. “Glad you both made it!”

“Turn off your lighting,” Tzuyu says from behind the short goddess of the sun. “Have you guys seen Dahyun?”

“She’s with Sana,” she points to the energetic goddess of love and beauty, and the very tired goddess of travel. “You should probably save her.”

“Of course,” the goddess of the moon sighs and drags Chaeyoung with her.

“Is it always like this?” Mina asks her.

“Ye—”

“They’re holding hands!” Sana shouts, pointing it out like everyone hasn’t noticed. “That’s bold of Nayeonnie,” she laughs.

Damn it.

-

She blames the salad. She just wanted something easy to make tonight, simple and filling. Sure, they don’t have to eat she likes to indulge when she has company.

“Why doesn’t mine have pomegranate seeds?” Mina points at her plate with her fork.

“Sorry, it’s a thing Jihyo, Jeongyeon, and I did when we decided on our territories. To make sure we’re tethered to our realms. Hyo chose to eat a bit of lightning, Jeong chose to eat a pearl from the deepest part of the sea, and I chose pomegranate seeds from the underworld.”

“What?” Mina frowns adorably, “Why are theirs so different?”

“It’s just to make sure no mortal or god could accidentally eat them and be tied to the realm. They both chose something dangerous to mortals and unpleasant to the gods, I chose something only available here where I have absolute control,” she grabs one of the seeds.

“Want one?” she offers playfully.

But then Mina does take it.

Directly. From. Her. Fingers.

Soft. Lips.

“Tastes good,” Mina smiles cheekily.

“Huh.”

-

“Hypothetically,” she starts painfully, “if someone ate a pomegranate seed from the underworld, how could I release them?”

“How many did she eat?” Jihyo has the audacity to laugh at her.

“Does it matter?”

“No, but Momo might kill you,” Jeongyeon cackles.

-

Being in the same clearing as Momo right now was not Nayeon’s favorite thing in the world. It was a long way down in her list. But here she is anyway. Because Mina asked.

“Can you two explain to me why you thought it would be a good idea to have Mina tethered to the underworld?” Momo huffs.

“It’s my fault—”

“Sometimes I need a break, and I like spending time with Nayeon. And I’m the one who decided on it. Nayeon is still trying to find a way to undo it,” Mina looks pointedly at her.

“Like isn’t a strong enough reason for you to stay in the underworld,” Momo insists.

She’s kinda right but Nayeon won’t point it out.

Mina narrows her eyes, she is frankly terrified.

“Fine, you want a better reason?” Mina challenges Momo. “I’m in love with her. I want to spend time with her without constantly worrying about spring, and harvest, and life.”

“Wait what?” she asks dumbly.

Momo sighs.

“Damn it, Sana won. Fine. But you’re with me half the human year.”

They shake hands.

“What?” she asks again.

-

After that discussion, Mina grabs her hand and walks away to their ride. It says a lot that she can now navigate the underworld flawlessly and every creature there doesn’t bat an eye.

Mina, apparently, does not feel the need to explain herself. Nayeon does not have the courage to ask.

Dahyun awaits them carrying bottles of ambrosia.

“Sana told us you need this,” Dahyun smirks at her.

Everyone and their goddamn smirks.

Mina laughs softly, though, and Nayeon already feels drunk on it.

-

They go back to the Alyconian Lake because the hydra needs cleaning, something Mina always did before she had her free time taken over by going to the underworld.

This is when Nayeon’s brain to mouth filter fails her.

“I really like you,” she blurts out like an idiot after having that sentence running over and over again in her head for the past few days.

“I know,” Mina stops busying herself with the scales. “And I love you.”

“But why?” she finally asks, because this wonderful goddess should not be confined to the underworld. “The underworld isn’t the best place to be. You know that.”

“I don’t know,” Mina smiles teasingly, “It’s quiet enough for my videogames.”

She kind of wants to cry.

“So I’m just for videogames?” she pouts.

_Pouts._ Mina’s power.

“No, silly,” Mina laughs, “I’m in love with you.”

She still kind of wants to cry.

“All the souls I’ve talked to about love say that it hurts, no matter how good or perfect people are for each other. What if I do that to you?” she asks.

Hurting Mina is simply not in her list.

“Then you will,” Mina cups her cheek gently. “Maybe I will. But we can forgive. And then I’ll love you all over again.”

“You make me feel the bravest and most terrified I’ve been since existence,” she laughs tearfully. “I’m so damn in love with you, Mina.”

Mina kisses her then, and she’s the happiest being in the universe.

“We have eternity ahead of us,” Mina grins when they break off, Nayeon chasing after her lips.

“And that’s enough?” she asks breathlessly.

“When it’s with you.”

**Author's Note:**

> i am so sorry for the mess dkakdak yell at me @__moxx04 or drop a comment? idk, i'm not the boss of you :D


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